The invention relates to a conveyor system for the transferring of at least one linear inlet stream of food products such as sausage, ham, cheese and the like successively sliced at high speed, and preferably stacked, into at least one outlet stream, which is laterally offset with respect to the inlet stream, while using a plurality of conveyor units arranged in series and each serving as a product support.
Conveyor systems of this kind are generally known, for example from U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,339, and are in practical use in large numbers. A distribution apparatus is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,165 having a continuous product support and adjustable lateral guides with which products to be distributed are displaced relative to the product support on the continuous product support with a component transverse to the conveyor direction. EP 0 274 229 A2 describes a conveyor system in which the products are transferred from a conveyor having a stationary upstream end, whose downstream end is movable transversely to the conveyor direction, to a following conveyor of larger width.
It is the object of the present invention to substantially increase the operating speed, and thus the capacity of the conveyor system. It should moreover be achieved that, where possible, no forces which impair and/or change the stack shape act on the conveyed products or product stacks during the conveyor process.
This object is satisfied in accordance with the invention by the features of claim 1 and substantially by a one part or multi-part first conveyor unit for the reception of the products sliced by means of a slicer, by a second conveyor unit adjoining it which has a larger width in comparison with the first conveyor unit and whose upstream product support end is movable and pivotable transversely to the conveyor direction and relative to the downstream product support end of the first conveyor unit, and by a third conveyor unit which is arranged adjoining the stationary downstream product support end of the second conveyor unit.
A particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the first conveyor unit consists of two successive part conveyor units, with both the downstream product support end of the downstream second part conveyor unit and the adjoining upstream product support end of the second part conveyor unit being made movable or pivotable transversely to the conveyor direction.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that two successive part conveyor units are provided, with the upstream part conveyor unit being a part of the first conveyor unit and the downstream part conveyor unit forming the second conveyor unit, and with both the downstream product support end of the first part conveyor unit and the adjoining upstream product support end of the second part conveyor unit being made movable or pivotable transversely to the conveyor direction.
It is possible to pivot the individual part conveyor unit at low speed due to the interplay of these two part conveyor units and to their pivoting in opposite senses, since the pivot movements in opposite senses add up with respect to the desired product offset so that an increase in the operating speed is nevertheless possible, on the one hand, and irritating transverse accelerations on the products are avoided, on the other hand.
Further advantageous aspects of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.